For her translations of the works of Marguerite Duras and Pierre Michon, Paris-based translator and writer Anne Weber received the 2008 European Translators Award’s main prize of 15,000 Euros on Sunday. The award ceremony took place in Offenburg, with the speech in honor of the award-winner held by art historian and Romance studies scholar Werner Spies.

The selection commission is comprised of well-known members of the literature and publishing world, such as Günter Berg (Hoffmann und Campe), Ulrich Greiner (Die Zeit), and Michael Krüger (Carl Hanser). They decide on a language in advance and select the honorary speaker.

For 2008, the commission chose French; Peter Handke agreed to act as referee. The renowned author selected Anne Weber as the main laureate who, in turn, was given the opportunity to decide on the receiver of the grant for young talents amounting to 5,000 Euros. She chose translator Holger Fock.

“Based on Offenburg’s position at the center of Europe and as headquarters of a pan-European publishing house, the award emphasizes the city’s commitment to bringing Europe closer together,” explained Lord Mayor Edith Schreiner. And publisher Hubert Burda added: “Translation has always been an important element of communication. Translations allow people to enter into a cross-border dialogue. Here in my hometown of Offenburg with its close ties to French culture and language, this has always been especially clear to me.”

With Peter Handke as referee and the two laureates Anne Weber and Holger Fock, Suhrkamp-Verlag is the indirect winner of this year’s award ceremony as all three are part of the publishing house’s program.

The European Translators Award was founded in 2005 by the City of Offenburg and Hubert Burda Foundation. It is a distinction that honors the vital cultural achievements of literary translation. The award’s main goal is to overcome cultural barriers and to promote cultural exchange.